Marine lift docks



Dec. 17, 1963 A. P. COLLIN 3,114,246

MARINE LIFT nocxs Filed May a, 1960 s Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR fish/ 017l Co/h'n ATTORNEY Dec. 17, 1963 A. P. COLLIN 3,114,246

MARINE LIFT DOCKS Filed May 3, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEY UnitedStates Patent Ofiice 3,114,246 MARINE LIFT DGCKS Ashton P. \Collin, CutOh, La., assignor to Leeville Shipyard Corporation, Cut Oh, La. FiledMay 3, 1960, Ser. No. 26,642 7 Claims. (Cl. 61-65) This inventionrelates to new and useful improvements in what may be generally referredto as dry docks, and the principal object of the invention is to providea simple, quickly and easily operable device for raising boats, smallships or other vessels out of water for purposes of inspection,maintenance or repair.

Unlike conventional dry docks from which water requires to be drained orpumped out, the present invention contemplates bodily lifting the vesselabove Water level, this being attained by the provision of a berth intowhich the vessel is floated over a submerged cradle adapted for raisingand lowering movement by power means, so that upon raising of the cradlethe vessel is bodily raised or lifted out of water.

The cradle raising and lowering means comprises a winch arrangementemploying a set of drums and cables windable thereon, the cables beingconnected to the cradle, and a feature of the invention resides in theparticular winch arrangement whereby the several cables aresimultaneously and equally wound and unwound on their respective drums,so that the cradle is at all times level.

Another feature of the invention resides in the arrangement of thecradle, the same including a plurality of hull engaging and supportingmembers which may be readily adjusted so that the cradle may accommodatevarious sizes and shapes of hulls.

With the foregoing objects and features in view and such other objectsand features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, theinvention will be understood from the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like charactors ofreference are used to designate like parts, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the marine lift dock in accordance withthe invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale, takensubstantially in the plane of the line 3-3 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional detail, taken substantially in theplane of the line l-4 in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the winch means andpower means for actuating the same;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken substantially in theplane of the line 66 in FIGURE 5; and

FIGURE 7 is an elevational view on an enlarged scale, showing one of thehull engaging and supporting members of the cradle.

Y Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the marine liftdock in accordance with the invention is designated generally by thereference numeral 10 and embodies in its construction an elongated berth11 which, as is best shown in FIGURE 2, has an outer portion Ilaextending over a body of water 12 and an inner 3,114,246 Patented Dec.17,1963

end portion 11b extending over land 13. The berth 11 has an open outerend whereby a vessel on the body of water 12 may be floated into theberth, as will be apparent. The berth comprises a pair of spacedparallel side members 14 connected by an inner cross member 15 and by aplurality of additional cross members 16 disposed in spaced parallelrelation on the inner end portion 11b of the berth. The side members 14are supported above the level of water 12 by a plurality of piles l7,l8, driven into the bottom of the body of water and into the ground 13,as shown, the upper end portions of these piles being secured togetherby longitudinal reinforcing members 19, spaced downwardly somewhat fromthe berth members 14. A vertical wall or panel 26 may be provided at theinner end of the body of water 12 in the berth to serve as a retainerfor the earth mass 13.

An elongated vessel supporting and raising ship cradle designatedgenerally by the numeral 21 is provided for raising and loweringmovement relative to the outer portion 11a of the berth and is movablevertically from a lowered position below water level to a raisedposition above water level, by means hereinafter described. The cradle21 embodies in its construction a plurality of cross members 22 eachcomprising a pair of spaced parallel beams 23 rigidly secured togetherby a set of tie bars 24. The outer ends of the cross members 22 arerigidly secured to a pair of longitudinal side members 25 of the cradle,while the center portions of the cross members are rigidly secured to alongitudinal center member 26.

A plurality of adjustable members designated generally by the numeral27, which for convenience of reference may be called bilge blockcarriers, are provided on the cross members 22 having means for engagingand supporting the hull of a vessel so as to keep the same on an evenkeel when raised out of Water. As is best shown in FIGURE 7, each of themembers 27 comprises a slid able base 28 which is movable along thecross member 22 toward and away from the center of the cradle andcarries an upright standard or tower 29 having a carrier 36 slidablevertically thereon. The carrier 30 includes a support arm 30a to whichis connected a cable 31, the latter passing over a pulley 32 at the topof the standard and being windable on a winch 33 rotatably mounted in abracket 34 at one side of the standard. The winch 33 may be rotatedmanually by a hand crank 35 whereby the carrier 39 may be raised andlowered on the standard,'a suitable pawl and ratchet mechanism beingassociated with the winch to prevent undesired unwinding from the winch.Also, a platform 36 is provided on the standard 29 on which the operatorof the winch may stand. The outer end of the carrier arm 30a has pivotedthereto as at 37 a plate 38 equipped with a Wooden pad or bilge block 39for engaging the hull, it being noted that the plate and pad 38, 39 aretiltable about the pivot 37 as indicated at 49 so as to assume a flatlying position against the hull regardless of hull slope. As alreadystated, the entire carrier 30 may be raised and lowered as indicated at41 by actuation of the winch 33, while the entire member 27 may be movedtoward and away from the hull by adjustment of the base 28 on the member22, as indicated at 42. As shown in FIGURE 4, the base 28 is providedwith side flanges 28a which slidably engage the beams 23 of the member22 and if desired, suitable winch means may be used for sliding themember 27 along the beams and/ or for locking the same in a preadjustedposition. Although in FIGURE 1 the members 27 are shown only on two ofthe cross members 22 for illustrative purposes, they may be provided onall of the cross members, as desired.

Means for raising and lowering the cradle 21 relative to the berth 11comprise a winch assembly mounted on the inner end portion 11b of theberth, as is best shown in FIGURE 5. Apart from the cross members 15,16, the berth portion 111) also includes a pair of spaced, centrallongitudinal frame members 43 which carry a plurality of coaxial bearingblocks 44 having a shaft 45 rotatably journalled therein. The shaft 45extends longitudinally of the berth, centrally between the side members14 and is provided with a set of double drums 46, 47. Cables 48, 49 arewindable on the respective drums 46, 47, so that they extend inrelatively opposite directions as is best shown in FIGURE 6, wherebywhen the shaft 45 is rotated, for example, in the direction of the arrow59, both sets of cables 43, 49 are simultaneously wound on the drums andconversely, when the shaft is rotated in the opposite direction, thecables are simultaneously unwound.

The cables 48 extend laterally from the drums 46 to one side of theberth where they pass around guide pulleys 51 into the adjacent sidemember 14, while the cables 49 extend from the drums 4'7 to the oppositeside of the berth where they pass around similar guide pulleys into theside member 14 adjacent thereto. The guide pulleys 51 are rotatablymounted on vertical pins 52 in brackets 53 carried by the members 14-,it being noted that the members 14 are hollow and that the cables 48, 49extend longitudinally in these hollow members to additional guidepulleys 54 which are rotatably mounted on shafts 55 provided atlongitudinally spaced points in the members 14, as is best shown inFIGURE 3. The outer portions 11a of the members 14 are open at theirbottom and after passing over the pulleys 54 the cables 48, 49 extenddownwardly from the members 14 and are anchored to brackets 25projecting from the members 25 of the cradle 21 as indicated at 56. Thepulleys S1 and 54 may be slightly offset to permit passage of theoperating cables.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that when the cables 48, 49 arewound on the drums 46, 47, the cradle 21 will be raised and, conversely,when the cables are unwound, the cradle will be lowered. The drums 46,47 are preferably of such size that the cables are wound thereon in asingle layer without overlapping, so that even winding and unwinding ofthe cables is attained and the cradle remains level during raising andlowering. Accordingly, a vessel on the cradle also remains on an evenkeel even when raised out of water, and consequently, it is notnecessary to empty fuel or other liquids from the vessel to preventspilling.

Power means are provided for actuating the winch assembly, the samecomprising a suitable motor 57 connected to a reduction gear box 58having a driven shaft 59 provided with a pinion 6t) which meshes with anidler gear 61 on a shaft 62. The gear 61, in turn, meshes with a gear 63on a shaft 64 which also carries a pinion 65 meshing with a gear 66secured to the shaft 45. The shafts 59, 62 and 64 are journalled insuitable bearings 67 and a suitable brake 68 is provided on the shaft 64for reducing the speed of rotation and/or locking against rotation theentire winch assembly. The operation of the motor 57 is regulated by asuitable control 69.

When the invention is placed in use, the winch assembly is operated soas to lower the cradle 21 to the bottom of the body of water 12 and thevessel to be dry docked is floated into the berth 11. Thereupon, themembers 27 are adjusted as necessary so that their pads .59 properlyengage and support the hull, and by actuating the winch assembly so asto Wind the cables 48, 49 on the drums 46, 47, the entire cradle 21together with the vessel thereon will be raised out of the water.Lowering of the vessel into water is, of course, effected by reversingthe foregoing procedure.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferredembodiment of the invention, various modifications may become apparentto those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly,it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure, and variousmodifications may be resorted to, such as may lie within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A dry dock having an open end through which marine vessels may entercomprising: elongated side members forming a fixed frame adapted to besecured in fixed positions; pairs of oppositely disposed guide pulleysmounted at spaced intervals on said members along the entire lengththereof; a ship cradle within the confines of said members, andinstrumentalities for raising and lowering said cradle, said saidinstrumentalities including (a) pairs of lifting cables, (11) aplurality of aligned winding drums, and (c) power means connected tosaid drums for driving them simultaneously at the same angular velocity,the said drums being at the rear of and between said side members andmounted for rotation about a common axis extending longitudinally ofsaid members, one of the cables in each pair of cables being attached toone side of said cradle and the other cable in such pair being attachedto the opposite side of the cradle, each pair of cables being attachedto one of said drums and extending transversely at right angles theretoover selected pairs of oppositely disposed pulleys on said side members,said cables further extending from said previously mentioned pulleysalong said side members over selected pairs of oppositely disposedpulleys and downwardly to points of attachment to said cradle, thearrangement being such that the top of the dock is left open andunobstructed and also such that the drums are rotated at the same speedand the cables constituting each pair of cables are wound on the drumsin the same direction and extend from the drums in opposite directionsto thereby elevate the cradle while maintaining the cradle in asubstantially horizontal plane at all times.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein the power means fordriving the drums constitutes a single power plant for simultaneouslydriving all of the drums.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein the said drums aremounted on the same shaft and said shaft is parallel with and disposedbetween the side members.

4. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein the cradle includesspaced transversely extending cross beams and bilge block carriersslidably mounted on said beams, each of said carriers comprising (a) anupstanding framework, (b) a pulley pivoted at the top thereof, (0) awinch mounted on a bracket secured to one side of said framework, (d) anarm extending inwardly from and slidably mounted on said framework, and(e) a bilge block pivoted on one end of said arm, the other end of thearm having a cable secured thereto, the said cable passing over saidpulley and being secured to said winch whereby upon operating the winchthe bilge block may be raised and lowered and tilted on its pivot toengage the sides of a boat.

5. A marine lift clock as set forth in claim 1 wherein the sides of thefixed frame each includes a hollow longitudinal member at the upperportion thereof to permit passage of the lifting cables therethrough,said longitudinal members having bottom openings at spaced longitudinalintervals, the said cable guide pulleys being located one adjacent eachof said bottom openings.

6. A marine lift dock as defined in claim 1 wherein the cradle includeslongitudinally spaced transverse members and hull engaging andsupporting members adjustably positioned on said transverse members.

7. The device as defined in claim 6 wherein each of said hull engagingand supporting members includes a base movable transversely of saidcradle, an upright standard provided on said base, a carrier movableupwardly and downwardly on said standard, and a hull engaging platepivoted to said carrier for tilting about an axis extendinglongitudinally of the cradle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS481,411 Moran Aug. 23, 1892 6 Jordan May 17, 1898 McCullough July 8,1902 Hickler Jan. 10, 1905 Prochazka Apr. 11, 1905 Glover Nov. 11, 1924French Sept. 5, 1944 Rornick Aug. 31, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britainof 1837 Great Britain of 1850

1. A DRY DOCK HAVING AN OPEN END THROUGH WHICH MARINE VESSELS MAY ENTERCOMPRISING: ELONGATED SIDE MEMBERS FORMING A FIXED FRAME ADAPTED TO BESECURED IN FIXED POSITIONS; PAIRS OF OPPOSITELY DISPOSED GUIDE PULLEYSMOUNTED AT SPACED INTERVALS ON SAID MEMBERS ALONG THE ENTIRE LENGTHTHEREOF; A SHIP CRADLE WITHIN THE CONFINES OF SAID MEMBERS, ANDINSTRUMENTALITIES FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID CRADLE, SAID SAIDINSTRUMENTALITIES INCLUDING (A) PAIRS OF LIFTING CABLES, (B) A PLURALITYOF ALIGNED WINDING DRUMS, AND (C) POWER MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID DRUMSFOR DRIVING THEM SIMULTANEOUSLY AT THE SAME ANGULAR VELOCITY, THE SAIDDRUMS BEING AT THE REAR OF AND BETWEEN SAID SIDE MEMBERS AND MOUNTED FORROTATION ABOUT A COMMON AXIS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID MEMBERS,ONE OF THE CABLES IN EACH PAIR OF CABLES BEING ATTACHED TO ONE SIDE OFSAID CRADLE AND THE OTHER CABLE IN SUCH PAIR BEING ATTACHED TO THEOPPOSITE SIDE OF THE CRADLE, EACH PAIR OF CABLES BEING ATTACHED TO ONEOF SAID DRUMS AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY AT RIGHT ANGLES THERETO OVERSELECTED PAIRS OF OPPOSITELY DISPOSED PULLEYS ON SAID SIDE MEMBERS, SAIDCABLES FURTHER EXTENDING FROM SAID PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED PULLEYS ALONGSAID SIDE MEMBERS OVER SELECTED PAIRS OF OPPOSITELY DISPOSED PULLEYS ANDDOWNWARDLY TO POINTS OF ATTACHMENT TO SAID CRADLE, THE ARRANGEMENT BEINGSUCH THAT THE TOP OF THE DOCK IS LEFT OPEN AND UNOBSTRUCTED AND ALSOSUCH THAT THE DRUMS ARE ROTATED AT THE SAME SPEED AND THE CABLESCONSTITUTING EACH PAIR OF CABLES ARE WOUND ON THE DRUMS IN THE SAMEDIRECTION AND EXTEND FROM THE DRUMS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS TO THEREBYELEVATE THE CRADLE WHILE MAINTAINING THE CRADLE IN A SUBSTANTIALLYHORIZONTAL PLANE AT ALL TIMES.